Talk:Yes We Can

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[edit] David Blaine

I added David Blaine, as he is feautred in the video as well. He says the famous Chavez line "Sí se puede." It means "Yes, It can be done." I think that both the David Blaine, and Yes We Can should reference each other. I am new to this, so if anyone knows how to do it, thanks.

Spaceman32002 (talk) 18:38, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Citizenship

This is not a song that is primarily about voting, except for one text 'vote' at the end. Just like no one is questioning whether the contributors are registered Democrats or Republicans (which has a major effect to whether they can vote for Obama anytime in the near future, if ever), it is not pertinent to discuss in this song which nation the contributors claim citizenship. It is a song about what we can do as a nation -- and citizenship is no bar to contributing to this nation. Just ask any of the non-citizens who work in and contribute to the U.S. Thus the remark at the end is just a perspective bias. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.35.249.129 (talk) 22:45, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

A fair case, and you've raised an interesting point. Obama's not just for American citizens (those who have the franchise); there's definitely a supra-national appeal as well. I only pointed out the foreign national(s) because AFAIK it's unprecedented for such to play such a role in a presidential campaign. If Esthero has in this regard any precursors whatsoever in previous election cycles, I'd like to hear about them; she might be sui generis. Then again, viral videos are a fairly new phenomenon! kencf0618 (talk) 15:28, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Esthero

Esthero is Canadian - anyone know why she was in the video?

Uh, because she supports Obama? Although she doesn't have the franchise here, she can lend her talent in support of the campaign every bit as much as Yael (whom I presume has dual French-Israeli citizenship). If anyone can further nail down the cites on the citizenship status of these two, feel free! kencf0618 (talk) 18:24, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Cameron Diaz?

A previous editor added Cameron Diaz to the list of song contributors. But I don't believe Diaz was actually present in the video, and that the editor may be mistaking Amber Valletta for Diaz. Feel free to revert if I am mistaken. -asx- (talk) 04:42, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

  • Is it not Cameron Diaz at 1:51 and 4:17 holding a kid in her arms? Sure looks like her, but I might be wrong. enderminh (talk) 07:17, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Lyrics

Here's an alternative formatting of the lyrics if anyone wants to use these instead of the current version. This version includes the chorus.


[edit] Yes We Can

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.

Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.

Yes we can. (x2)

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.

Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.

Yes we can. (x16)

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity. (x2)

Yes we can heal this nation.

Yes we can repair this world.

Yes we can. (x12)

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We want change. (x3)

I want change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics who will only grow louder and more. We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

We want change.

I want change. (x3)

The hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in America's story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea - Yes. We. Can.

Yes we can.

-asx- (talk) 03:32, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Bob the Builder

Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world. Can we fix it? Yes we can!

I'm sure it's just coincidence, but I'm quite amazed. Tim (Xevious) (talk) 08:39, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

I'll admit it: I'm stunned you were able to find another example of someone using the words "Yes we can." It's just astonishing. I mean, really, who could have ever imagined those words having been put together in that order before, and that you were able to find them? Truly remarkable. Maybe they will make a TV show our of your remarkable discover. Perhaps Time Magazine will make you Man of the Year for 2008! Thank you for bringing this to our attention. -asx- (talk) 09:15, 3 February 2008 (UTC)
It was more the part about being able to repair or fix something ... and the fact it's a song. But I'm happy to have provided you with your daily dose of sarcasm! Tim (Xevious) (talk) 10:32, 3 February 2008 (UTC)
I found the comparison mildly amusing when I first heard Fox News talking about it over a month ago. This joke has been circulating for weeks on right-wing blogs and elsewhere. Most people will interpret your decision to post the comparison here as a partisan attack on Obama and his supporters. -asx- (talk) 18:18, 3 February 2008 (UTC)
Unfortunately, and contrary to what you may have been led to believe, what with me living in the UK I've not had detailed analysis of the US not-even-a-proper-election forced upon me for the past two months. But, in any case, everyone loves Bob the Builder. I could think of worse people to be compared to. Tim (Xevious) (talk) 07:15, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

The "yes we can" line is a reference to Cesar Chavez's slogan "Sí se puede", coined during the 1970's. Long before Bob the Builder was around. --AgentOfChange (talk) 04:32, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] The Actual Song

Although it's one of the most quietly evocative pieces I've ever heard, I really don't have the musical chops, or for that matter the knowledge of hip-hop, to write about it any more detail than I already have. The song itself deserves its own paragraph about its R&B and hip-hop provenance and style. I've put up some thematic stuff, but I couldn't tell you about its time signature, what key it's in, etc., so have at it! kencf0618 (talk) 18:34, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] I Think It Appropriate

For someone to put a section about the fact that it has been reposted by other YouTubers... umm... several times. I've already counted 25 just from the first three search pages. Lol what a viral video indeed!! At least there's something to hope about. Kopf1988 (talk) 05:36, 4 February 2008 (UTC)


I have seen the views to be

1,742,065+ 310,191+ 1,701,454+ 116,902+

=

3,870,612

for the top four identical videos with maximum view as of 3 27 PM Eastern, 6/2/2008

[edit] Complete List

Dipdive.com now shows complete credits for this video. Some of the folks listed on the webpage were not, in fact, in the Yes We Can video. This needs to be cleaned up.

Nevermind, I did it. Benjam1n (talk) 14:49, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

The Eric Olsen referenced in the list is incorrect. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Christian_Olsen That is the correct person, an actor from movies such as The Last Kiss. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.215.209.236 (talk) 23:23, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Someone has since fixed this. William Pietri (talk) 17:30, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
Who's the woman in 1:11? It's not Natasha Bedingfield as wikipedia states...  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.173.183.252 (talk) 22:55, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Grid of particpants and photos and/or times?

Hi! I've got an idea, and I'm wondering if it's overkill. Looking at the video, I'll wonder who some individual person is. Because there are so many of them, and because we don't have photos for many of them, I'd like a quick way to figure out who somebody is. I'm thinking either a) a grid of names and head shots (taken from the video) or b) a grid of names and timestamps. I'd lean towards the photos, myself. Any opinions? William Pietri (talk) 17:33, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

I like that idea. It's difficult to figure out who's who, so I think that would be very useful. Maybe simply a headshot taken from the video placed next to each name as it appears on the web page would be the easiest way to match up the names and faces. -asx- (talk) 01:32, 6 February 2008 (UTC)
  • I went ahead and labeled (with times) as many people as I could. Please feel free to correct any mistakes and reformat as you see fit. Mgcsinc (talk) 18:48, 9 February 2008 (UTC)
Okay, I made headshots, but I don't know how to get the pictures here or how to make a grid, basically I know nothing, however I did upload them into an album in photobucket, just search for " yeswecanbarackobama " then look at the album, I only made the screenshots for the one's who are listed with time stamps by their names. Sorry, but some of these people I don't know who they are either, if anyone finds anything out, post it here and I'll make a screenshot for them as well... have fun (please don't autobot my name or ISP Number.)
Fabulous! Mgcsinc, thanks for doing that. William Pietri (talk) 16:09, 10 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Greek Chrous?

Hi. Do the performers really act as a traditional Greek chorus? I'm not so sure that makes sense. Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 141.156.133.52 (talk) 01:26, 9 February 2008 (UTC)

  • +1 Mgcsinc (talk) 16:27, 9 February 2008 (UTC)
  • +2 Tubesship (talk) 07:27, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Please interwiki this article

There is also an article on German Wikipedia, please interwiki it. Thank you. --134.155.99.42 (talk) 22:40, 9 February 2008 (UTC)



[edit] @1:17, "si, podemos" and 1:57, "sí, se puede"

I hear at 1:17, "si, podemos" and at 1:57, "sí, se puede". Whats what? Spanish and what else? --134.155.99.42 (talk) 16:19, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

I think they're both in Spanish (Si, podemos + si, se puede). They both mean "Yes We Can". -- Megumi997 (talk) 23:07, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

According to the article Sí se puede means "Yes, It can be done!" not "Yes We Can" - that would be "si, podemos" if my very limited knowledge of Spanish doesn't desert me. --Anjoe (talk) 02:14, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
You're absolutely correct, Anjoe. But there's very little semantic difference between these two interchangeable expressions. --Vibragiel (talk) 07:08, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] One nation?

How does he figure that Americans are one nation? What what I've seen, a place like Texas has a completely separate national identity from a place like New England. American probably has four or five different nations within the country. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.193.45.183 (talk) 16:05, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, for a European as I am the differences are neglectable, because there are much more commonalities. A Texan can drink root beer like a New Englander, but for an European this drink is almost undrinkable. Just as an example. And Europeans have different languages, but a Texan can communicate with an New Englander, if he tries to. --Tubesship (talk) 05:42, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Even if there are four of five different nations within the US, that's where the change comes in, non? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.191.22.133 (talk) 18:25, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

No offense intended, but have you done much traveling outside the country? I find that people who tend to say things similar to this have never been exposed to a nation which is really fundamentally different. I used to go around saying that there was no such thing as American culture. Two months living in Japan turned me around on that one pretty fast. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 222.159.179.155 (talk) 22:32, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] We are the ones

  • - 0:09
  • Jessica Alba - 0:22
  • - 0:31
  • - 0:32
  • - 0:34
  • - 0:38
  • - 0:38
  • - 0:39
  • - 0:42
  • - 0:45
  • - 0:49
  • Will.i.am - 0:49
  • - 0:50
  • - 0:51
  • - Macy Gray - 0:56
  • - 0:57
  • - Malcolm Jamal Warner - 0:59
  • - 1:02 (holding picture of Barack Obama)
  • - 1:05
  • - 1:07
  • John Leg - 1:09
  • - 1:10
  • Jamie Foxx - 1:10
  • - 1:11
  • - 1:13
  • - 1:13
  • - 1:16
  • - 1:16
  • - 1:19
  • - 1:30
  • - 1:33
  • - 1:33
  • - 1:50
  • - 2:00
  • George Lopez - 2:04
  • Luis Guzmán - 2:08

Bcc cindy (talk) 15:51, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Rename to 'dipdive'?

Later today I'm hoping to change this article's focus to the dipdive.com site that released the video, with subsections on the two videos they've released. One issue that I'm worried about is whether the website itself meets notability guidelines, but I think that as a grassroots effort completely separate from the campaign itself it is pretty unique in how much attention it has gotten. If anyone has strong feelings of opposition, let me know and feel free to revert and wait for a fuller discussion. -Mgcsinc (talk) 20:11, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

  • I went ahead and did it, along with some cleanup / reorganization / redundancy removal. -Mgcsinc (talk) 01:13, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

I'm sure it was well meant, but I think this was a mistake. "Yes We Can" gets maybe 15x the press mentions than the web site does. The song itself is clearly a notable phenomenon, but as you mention, the web site may not be. By all means create an article about the website if you can find sources for it, but I'd ask you to put "Yes We Can" back. Thanks, William Pietri (talk) 07:39, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

I don't see "Dipdive.com" have anything to do with the subject in particular. I first found both videos on YouTube, as have millions of others who might not know anything about a website with a somewhat funny name. Please change back. --Anjoe (talk) 02:02, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

  • The website is where the video originally came from, regardless of whether it was viewed on YouTube or elsewhere. The video has a hitcount of 4 million on the Dipdive site. The YouTube argument is silly - videos copied onto YouTube should still be considered in the context of their original source. I think that expanding the scope of this article made sense, regardless of whether the song itself was getting more news coverage than the group that created it. It is common to find articles with a less notable subject than one of their sub-sections - many articles about musicians are like this. It made sense here given that one group has created two notable videos - Mgcsinc (talk) 06:00, 5 March 2008 (UTC)

Hmm.... Is there anything more to Dipdive.com than will.i.am? If not, then I'm not sure we have anything to say about the website. If we do, then sure, we can write about it. But the "Yes We Can" video is the clearly the main notable phenomenon. So whether or not we have an article on Dipdive.com, we should have one on "Yes We Can". William Pietri (talk) 01:00, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Geezer Butler

Geezer Butler said his son did editing. Here is the source: Geezer Butler official website. Tenacious D Fan (talk) 14:31, 6 April 2008 (UTC)